King slams RNC on NSA resolution

Rep. Peter King on Saturday blasted a new resolution from the Republican National Committee concerning the National Security Agency, charging that the “hysterical” measure could be a “death warrant” for the GOP.

The RNC on Friday called the NSA surveillance program “unconstitutional” in a resolution, urging a “halt” of the efforts and “a full public accounting” of the data collection initiatives. In an interview with POLITICO, King, a hawkish New York Republican, said the move pushed the party in an “isolationist” direction.

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“We’re going to make the Democrats and Barack Obama the party of national security,” he said. “It’s signing our own death warrant as a party.”

King’s Long Island congressional district was deeply affected by the September 11 terrorist attacks, and he has long been a proponent of an aggressive approach to combating terrorism, even as voices more wary of intervention, like Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), have grown more prominent within the GOP.

“Republicans are supposed to be the party of national defense,” King said. “It would be one thing if people wanted to pass legislation [posing] questions. But to talk about ‘spying’ and unconstitutionality … it’s basically repudiating the policies of the Republican Party over the last 12 years, policies that kept us safe.”

A spokeswoman for the RNC didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

King has indicated he is weighing what would be a long-shot presidential bid in part because he wants the 2016 Republican debates to include a more aggressive perspective on defense issues.